Dear reader,

At Ace & Tate we’re working hard to make our stores as eco-friendly as possible. Along the way we’ve found that there’s more to choosing green energy suppliers than meets the eye.

Last year we published Ace & Tate’s first CO2 report. It shone a light on areas where we have room for improvement. It turns out energy consumption from our stores and headquarters was a place where we could make some positive changes. …

Have yourself a responsible Black Friday! ❤

Black Friday is coming up, the ‘official’ start of the holiday shopping season. With December fast approaching, it is tempting to fall into the trap of consumerism that you have tried to be more mindful about all year.

This week, Instagram will advertise you many beautifully curated items you absolutely need, Facebook will show you deals you cannot miss out on and television and Spotify ads will convince you that this is your one chance to get your hands on the latest trends for the best possible price. …

Update your wardrobe without compromising the environment

As Sustainability Manager at Ace & Tate, I’ve made it my personal mission to reduce the environmental impact of our products — which we do through innovating waste streams and re-design. People ask me if I am living the sustainable life myself all the time. Luckily, I love vintage and second-hand clothing hunting. So, one easy win there!

Recently, we organised a clothing swap for the Ace & Tate team and it was so much fun! Colleagues were trying on things they would normally never wear and were inspired by different styles and combinations. …

Dear reader,

You’ve landed on part 2 of Factoring In Our Factories. While Part 1 focused on how we make our frames, this story covers where we make them and what operational challenges we face. We’ll share what it takes to select factories overseas and what matters most in keeping such a bond going. Having started my career in the supply chain team, I’ll start by making ‘factory’ a tad more specific. I’m Marlot by the way, currently Sustainability Manager at Ace & Tate.

There are many types of factories out there. Making eyewear is complex — often one frame takes over one hundred steps to make, as you might’ve read in our previous post, which calls for at least two different sets of expertise. We work closely with our manufacturers to oversee production and the assembly of frames and lenses, and we count on our suppliers to source and deliver raw material, components and lenses. You can imagine how convenient it would be if these parties weren’t oceans apart. Especially if you’ve set the task of expanding your network of partners, without loosening the ties. …

Dear reader,

In our previous post, we shared our design principles and the steps involved in creating our new, more sustainable packaging. This time, I’d like to tell you about how we make our frames — dirty details included.

When I started working in the Supply Chain team in 2015, Ace & Tate had just opened its first flagship store in Amsterdam. The number of frames we were looking to produce was pretty low and far from a good deal for most factories. …

Dear reader,

Let me introduce myself. I’m Marlot, the CSR Manager at Ace & Tate. Since the 1960s, Corporate Social Responsibility has been a practice that has shifted from donating to charity, to more proactive attempts to drive meaningful change, like those we are working on at Ace & Tate right now. It’s my job to keep all our sustainability efforts in sight and on track.

In this post, I’ll be sharing how we redesigned our packaging with both new and old materials. The data had shown us that our packaging had to be our #1 priority when it comes to environmental impact (you can dig into our previous post if you’re keen to put your company’s impact into numbers, too). …